Senegal: Ex-president Sall arrives back for meeting with successor

Lead

Senegal's former president Macky Sall returned to Dakar on Friday for his first meeting with his successor, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, as part of his campaign to become the next United Nations secretary-general. The brief visit marked Sall's first return to the West African country since leaving office in April 2024, and came amid both enthusiastic support and sharp criticism.

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Africa News reported that Sall, who led the nation between 2012 and 2024, arrived mid-afternoon at a military airport in Dakar, where more than 1,000 supporters gathered in the heat to welcome him. He greeted the crowd from atop a vehicle, and noisy throngs of supporters then moved toward the presidential palace downtown. His party, the APR, which he still leads, had invited supporters to turn out.

The meeting with President Faye was confirmed by the Senegalese presidency, which said Sall came to update Faye on his candidacy for the UN Secretary-General position. The presidency stated that Sall committed to regularly updating the head of state at each step of the procedure. Sall left Senegal shortly before 8 pm local time.

Sall announced the trip in a statement shared on social media, describing it as part of consultations and meetings linked to his campaign. According to members of his political party, he was scheduled to arrive at Dakar's former airport in Yoff at 3 pm and leave at 6 pm, though reports later indicated he departed closer to 8 pm.

The main objective of the visit was to obtain formal backing from Senegal, which has so far remained silent on Sall's UN ambitions and has not officially supported his candidacy. In March, Sall failed to secure the African Union's endorsement after 20 countries, including Senegal, opposed his bid. In a note to the AU commission, Dakar said it had neither supported nor initiated Sall's candidacy. Sall had earlier requested Senegal's support in a letter sent on February 5, but received no official response.

Key Claims

• Sall is accused by the current government of violent political repression during his last years in office, which led to dozens of deaths, and of covering up unfavorable economic data.
• The meeting between Sall and Faye sparked controversy within Faye's camp, which has been divided since Faye dismissed prime minister Ousmane Sonko, once a staunch ally. Sonko and Sall are arch-rivals.
• One of Faye's political advisors, Alioune Ibnou Abitalib Sow, announced his resignation on Friday in protest at Sall's visit. Sow posted on X: "He is responsible for a large part of the troubles the country is facing today" and "Senegalese people have died, and families are still waiting for the truth."
• Burundi, which holds the rotating African Union presidency, nominated Sall earlier this year for the UN secretary-general position.
• The Collective of Victims of Macky Sall's regime has spoken out against the visit, urging that Sall's international ambitions should not overshadow demands for accountability over alleged abuses, arrests, and violence during his time in power. Guy Marius Sagna, a member of the parliamentary majority, was quoted as saying: "This visit is a third assassination, a third act of torture, a third imprisonment for all the victims between 2021 and 2024."

Perspectives

The Senegalese government, through the presidency, framed the meeting as a routine consultation, emphasizing that Sall committed to regularly updating the head of state in his candidacy process. This contrasts with the criticism from within Faye's own camp.

Alioune Ibnou Abitalib Sow, a political advisor to President Faye, expressed strong opposition to the visit, resigning in protest and holding Sall responsible for much of the country's current troubles, including deaths and a lack of truth for families.

The Collective of Victims of Macky Sall's regime, represented in part by Parliamentarian Guy Marius Sagna, condemned the visit as an affront to those who suffered under Sall's rule, calling for accountability over alleged abuses.

Sall himself, through his social media announcement, framed the trip as part of his campaign consultations, seeking his country's formal backing for his UN candidacy.